Sir Alex Ferguson’s refusal to speak to the BBC for the past five years has been a major embarrassment for the Premier League, not least because it has exposed its toothless gums and its slavery to its member clubs.

It deserves credit for trying belatedly to force Ferguson to mend his ways by imposing fines on managers who don't speak to rights holders from next season. Still, when it comes to their chances of making the new rules stick, I’m not holding my breath. Who’s going to enforce the collection of his fines, for a start?

I mean, can you really see Manchester United’s timid chief executive David Gill or Premier League boss Richard Scudamore standing up to Fergie when it comes to the crunch? No, me neither.